


Marry Me Free

by AvenStryker



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Cliche, F/M, Friendship, Marauders era, POV Third Person, Reader-Insert, more tags to be added later
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-17
Updated: 2018-09-17
Packaged: 2019-07-13 13:07:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,422
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16018544
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AvenStryker/pseuds/AvenStryker
Summary: The reader is a female pureblood Slytherin who’s best friends with Regulus Black. She’s trying to avoid an arranged marriage by pretend-dating Sirius. Falling in love along the way seems unavoidable.I know that this sounds really cliché (and it is) but what can I say? I'm hopeless.





	Marry Me Free

**Author's Note:**

> This is obviously the first chapter and there will very likely be more but I'm very busy at the moment and have no idea when I'll be able to write and post more.
> 
>  
> 
> This hasn't been beta-read. I hope I managed to correct all the mistakes but if you find any, tell me, so I can remove them.

“You have _got_ to be kidding me…” (Y/N) stared incredulously at the piece of parchment in her hands. The knots that had formed in her stomach when she’d received the very heavy and expensive-looking envelope with the (Y/L/N) family crest on the front, became even tighter after reading the contents of the letter inside said envelope. They almost made her stomach hurt. It hadn't been a surprise, per se, she’d been expecting it for a while now, especially after the way her parents had behaved during her last visit home.

“What is it?” asked Regulus, “Bad news?”

He leaned closer to her, trying to take a peek at the words that had rattled his friend. (Y/N) sighed, nodded and handed him the roll of cream-coloured parchment.

**_(Y/N),_ **

**_As you know, you are the only heir to the (Y/L/N) family, which means that you will inherit the family fortune and all titles that come with our name. It also means that you have the responsibility of making favourable connections and marrying a young man of high standing, approved of by us, your parents._ **

**_Since you have not yet made any effort to find a suitable partner we have decided to give you two options:_ **

_**1\. you find someone appropriate by yourself and present him to us within the next month, or** _

**_2\. we will chose somebody for you and make all the arrangements together with his family._ **

**_We expect an answer ASAP._ **

**_Your parents,_ **

**_(Y/F/N) and (Y/M/N) (Y/L/N)_ **

Once he finished reading it he handed the letter back to (Y/N) and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.

“This isn’t fair,” she complained, “I’m only a sixteen! I don’t want to think about marriage. In fact, I don’t want to get married at all! I never asked to be the heir to a pureblood family, this is completely insane! What is it with these stuck up family traditions? We’re not living in the Middle Ages! ‘Favourable connections’, ridiculous!” She glared at the paper in her hand before making it go up in flames and watching the ashes being carried away by the breeze, out onto the Black Lake.

Regulus smiled lightly at her outburst. She always seemed so composed and controlled around others, as if nothing could faze her. But with only him around, she wasn't worried about letting her fiery temper run wild.

“I agree, but that doesn’t change the fact that you have to do as they ask. It’s the same for my brother and I. During the holidays Mother and Father told Sirius the same thing. He has to find a suitable partner or they will do it for him.” he said in a soothing tone, attempting to calm his friend down.

“Yeah, well, the only difference is that your brother will be seventeen soon, nobody can force him to do anything after that. I have to wait almost twice as long as he does before I’m of age…” (Y/N) heaved a sigh and let her head fall back against the trunk of the tree at the foot of which the two of them were sitting.

Seeing his best friend in this distressed state upset Regulus, his brain furiously searching for a solution to her problem. Then it hit him.

“That’s it!” he exclaimed.

“What’s what?” asked (Y/N) opening her eyes, surprised by the boy’s outburst after quite a long period of silence.

“I found the solution to your problem. It’s so simple and obvious.”

“It can’t be that obvious, I’d have thought of it otherwise.” Regulus rolled his eyes, “Don’t be like that, I’m trying to help you.” His tone had turned slightly sour.

"I know, sorry." (Y/N) replied apologetically, “What’s your plan, then?”

“You and my brother need to start dating.” He said, proud to have come up with a solution to his friend’s _and_ Sirius’ problem at the same time. He was rudely brought back from his little reverie by a hand being placed on his forehead and then his cheek. “What the hell are you doing, (Y/N)?”

“Checking for a fever. There’s no other explanation for this absolutely preposterous plan of yours. You're either ill or mad. I was hoping it was the first but your temperature seems normal. Sorry to have to break this to you Reg, but you’ve gone insane. Maybe you should see Madame Pomfrey, I bet she knows somebody at St. Mungo’s who can help you.”

Regulus leaned back a little and swatted (Y/N)’s hand away from his face before furrowing his brows at her.

“I’m being serious! It’s the perfect plan. If the two of you start dating all of your problems will be resolved…”, he was interrupted by an indignant snort.

He glared at the young woman in front of him before continuing.

“As I was saying, all your problems _concerning possible marriage plans_ ,” he shot her a pointed look but she just smirked in response, ”will disappear. Your parents will be satisfied that you have found someone from a rich pureblood family and Mother is going to stop hounding Sirius once she hears your name.”

“Sounds like you have this all figured out. There’s just one little thing you didn’t consider. Maybe I don’t _want_ to date your brother and vice versa. Did that thought ever cross your mind? He and I have never been on the best of terms, you know that.” She shook her head lightly.

“I do know that but you wouldn’t have to be dating _for real_. Just pretend to until Sirius turns seventeen. Our parents won’t have any control over him anymore and he can leave home. You’ll just pretend that he’s the one who ended the relationship and disgraced you and your family. I doubt he’ll care.”

(Y/N) picked at the grass around her thoughtfully.

“After that, it won’t be too long until I turn seventeen as well, and until then I could pretend to look for someone else, maybe date a few people…” she mused, “This is beginning to sound like a good idea. Is your insanity contagious or did you put something in my tea?” She eyed him, mock-suspicion in her eyes.

“But how are we going to convince your brother?”

“I doubt he’ll put up much of a fight with the prospect of Mother leaving him in peace being dangled in front of him. We’ll just have to lay out all the arguments in front of him. Believe it or not, he’s a pretty reasonable person.”

Another snort came from the young woman after hearing these words. Reasonable? Sirius Black? There was a better chance of Professor Slughorn squeezing himself into a pink tutu and dancing the tango with Peeves, than of the eldest Black son being reasonable.

(Y/N) had been friends with Regulus since their first year and thus had inevitably come into contact with his older brother. Sirius had never been mean to her or hurt her in any way, he’d never actually paid her much attention. But his behaviour and personality irked (Y/N). The way he was always flirting with every girl that he passed, the way he grinned stupidly whenever he came into the Great Hall for breakfast after a one night stand, and especially the way he and James Potter treated her fellow Slytherin Severus Snape. Not that she liked Snape very much but the way the two Gryffindors humiliated the boy in front of everyone was just pathetic and childish. There were other ways to annoy Snape, no need to resort to methods seven year olds would use.

Why was it that she’d agreed to Reg’s plan again? Oh, yeah. Because otherwise she’d have to get married. To some stuck up pureblood arsehole, no less.

“If you want, we can talk to him together tomorrow. I’ll ask him to meet us at the Hog’s Head and we’ll discuss all the details then.” (Y/N) had seldom seen her friend this excited, apparently she’d become his new project. A small smile crept onto her lips.

“Alright, trying can’t hurt. Let’s see how it turns out.” She didn’t know whether or not she liked the idea the younger Black had put forward but she was reasonably sure that his brother would not agree to it, thus making a real decision on her part superfluous. She’d humour Regulus, and after being turned down by Sirius, find a different way to avoid an arranged marriage.


End file.
